High gloss and wearability are desirable characteristics of any coating composition that is prepared to cover fingernails and similar substrates. The highest possible gloss and maximum resistance to wear are essential for any commercially useful nail polish.
It has been conventional practice for many years to use nitrocellulose as the film forming agent in nail polish compositions. The use of nitrocellulose has numerous disadvantages, but these disadvantages have generally been overlooked because of its low cost. For example, nitrocellulose is an explosive material that requires special handling during manufacture and use. Moreover, pigmented nitrocellulose-containing compositions are not particularly stable in the presence of light and tend to yellow upon storage.
Certain copolymers have been added to nitrocellulose-containing compositions to reduce the amount of nitrocellulose used and to improve the appearance of the coated material. Although these copolymers may provide an adequate coating composition, the adhesion of the coating composition to the substrate and the gloss of the film was often less than desirable.
The poor wetting characteristics of such compositions adversely influence coating utility because the substrate to be coated, such as a fingernail, must be wetted to allow the coating to spread evenly. Poor wetting also contributes to poor adhesion and cracking of the film.